11CLab Electricity & Magnetism   Spring 2009

Instructor: Hossein Partovi email: hpartovi@csus.edu web page: www.csus.edu/indiv/p/partovimh/

Office: SEQ-430 Tel: 278-6501/6518 Office Hours:  M,W: 11-12 AM, in SQU 430, R: 12-1 PM, in SQU 124

The objectives of this laboratory are to learn basic measurement methods in electricity & magnetism, reinforce the learning of the concepts and methods of P11C, and to develop the basics of scientific record keeping and journal writing.

I.  All students are required to have (1) a current edition of "Electricity & Magnetism," the manual for the 11C lab, and (2) a laboratory notebook (such as "Science Notebook" available at the bookstore) which contains good quality graph paper; loose leaf reports and other formats will not be accepted. Treat your notebook as a document of record; do not tear its pages away.

II. Write a running report of your laboratory experiment, a journal, as you go through the experiment, including the following items:

• TITLE/PARTNERS/DATE: Write the title of the experiment, your partner's name(s) and the date on top.
• ABSTRACT: an abstract/summary which in 3-4 lines summarizes what was done and observed; leave a few lines blank for this abstract on top, and write the abstract after your work is done and you know what you actually did.
• DESCRIPTION: a brief description of the experiment and the apparatus, including sketches where appropriate, as a supplement to what is in the lab manual. Do not repeat what's in the manual; instead refer to it if necessary.
• OBSERVATIONS/DATA: Write a record of observations and data, appropriately organized and/or tabulated (all units explicitly written). Record all relevant data, and correct any erroneous entry by lightly crossing over it.
• ANALYSIS: Write an analysis of the data and observations: organize the results, plot graphs as appropriate, and compare results with theoretical expectations as required or appropriate. State any conclusions here.
• CONCLUDING REMARKS: Write concluding remarks, which are not conclusions drawn from your analysis, but relevant reflections and comments on the overall experiment not stated above: do not repeat what was concluded in the analysis or elsewhere here.

III.Write concisely, clearly, and substantively; avoid filler material. Do not erase written material; cross out lightly and write above it. Observe what is going on and record significant occurrences.

IV. Each lab counts for 100 points, for a total of 11X100=1100 for 11 labs. The lowest lab score (including a possible zero for the first missed lab) will be dropped when calculating this score, except when more than one lab is missed. However, you are responsible for the material in all labs, as well as any information that may be announced during the lab sessions. There will be a lab practical exam worth 300 points. Missed labs will receive zero credit, and more than one missed lab may result in an incomplete grade for the lab unless a compelling reason is documented and submitted for the absence immediately thereafter. When a lab is missed, every effort should be made to make it up in one of the remaining lab sessions during that week.